Facing COVID Without Panic: 12 Common Myths and 12 Lesser Known Facts about the Pandemic

This concise book explains in understandable terms how scientists, as they struggle to comprehend Covid-19, have been identifying the main ways the coronavirus is spread and the primary factors associated with severe illness and death. This emerging evidence can help us determine the best ways to reduce risk as well as anxiety and fear. By examining 12 common myths and 12 lesser known facts about Covid-19 (which are occasionally updated by the author, most recently on January 27, 2022, and also available in Spanish), he explores:



● How this respiratory coronavirus is mainly spread through close and prolonged contact

● How most infections occur within clusters of people in indoor settings with poor air circulation: households, workplaces, nursing homes, prisons...And what can be done about it

● Why Covid-19 vaccines are such a game-changer

● The extremely low risk of infection while being outdoors and from surfaces

● Why a child is more likely to die from walking to school than from Covid-19, and the relatively low risk of children infecting others

● Why “facial distancing” is more helpful than “social distancing”

● The value and limitations of other prevention measures including masks, gloves, thermometer guns, hand sanitizers, quarantine periods, vaccines, and “herd immunity” approaches

● Why having asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19 (and, surprisingly, even lowers risk)

● Is it safe to work out again at the gym?

● What about “airborne” transmission: do we need to do anything differently?

● The not necessarily very high risk of old age, by itself, absent serious health conditions

● Is it safe to travel by airplane?

● The need to focus on levels of Covid-19 deaths (and severe illness) vs cases, even when surges inevitably occur

● The confusion regarding “asymptomatic” and “pre-symptomatic” infected persons

● The impact of shelter-in-place measures, school closures and other responses to the coronavirus,

and

● What can be learned from past pandemics



Daniel Halperin, Ph.D. is Adjunct Full Professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill. He received his doctoral and post-doctoral epidemiological training at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Halperin has conducted public health and anthropological research for over forty years in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, and previously taught at Harvard School of Public Health, the University of California, and the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. He served over five years as Senior HIV Prevention Advisor at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Halperin co-authored a New York Times “Editor’s Choice” book on the AIDS pandemic and has published some 10 articles on Covid-19, and over 60 peer-reviewed papers on infectious diseases generally in leading scientific journals, as well as numerous pieces in the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and elsewhere.





Editorial Reviews:



This concise book is an easy to read, deeply scientifically researched exploration of Covid-19. Dispels many myths and provides solid evidence for many facts. A strongly recommended read for those who want to learn more from public health scientists about the pandemic.



Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Public Health, David Geffen School of Medicine and Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles





Facing COVID Without Panic is a short but richly educational book that is an absolute must-read for any of us – as who has not been confronting this challenging and confusing pandemic? I learned a huge amount from the “12 myths and 12 facts” that Halperin presents, and I’m sure other readers also will. Clearly explained and full of fascinating scientific data and thought-provoking tidbits. You won't be able to put it down, and your entire outlook on Covid-19 will be transformed.



Richard Wamai, PhD, Associate Professor in Public Health, Northeastern University





This information-packed book is a gem. It provides a clear guide to answering the questions many of us have right now about the pandemic. Should my kids go back to school? Can we visit my elderly parents? If so, how far apart do we need to be? Is it alright to get on a plane? How important is it to clean packages and other surfaces? The book does a great job at distinguishing between important measures and those that are a distraction and a waste of time.



Mark Tilton, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Purdue University





Speaking as an editor (and a reader), I can assure you that Daniel Halperin’s work is easy to read, provocative, and actionable; it brings clarity to many of the areas we have all been struggling to understand about Covid-19. At the same time, speaking both as a husband and father as well as a public health epidemiologist, I can say confidently that he addresses fears we have all faced and offers robust, evidence-grounded reassurance. After many long months of pandemic pain and confusion, this document could not be more important or illuminating. (From the Preface)



Stephen Hodgins, MD, MSc, DrPH, Associate Professor of Global Health, University of Alberta; Editor-in-Chief, Global Health Science and Practice